carpe noctem
by tatty ted
Summary: Eighteen year old Amelia Jordan doesn't like her fifteen year old half-sister Jessica. As the arguing reaches breaking point, an accident puts things into perspective and Amelia realises that family is far more important then she realised, even if it is slightly dysfunctional. - —Nick/Zoe/Miriam/OC.
1. CHAPTER I

**notes — **permission obtained from _hermionelumos _to use _jessica jordan._

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carpe noctem  
_a casualty fanfiction_

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Amelia slammed the front door closed as she stormed down the steps; "It's half past nine on a fricking Saturday morning! I haven't had time to shower, or take off last nights makeup, I look a bloody mess. Where's the fire?"

She got into the passenger side, slammed the door closed and looked her mother in the eye, "I won't forgive you for this mark my words, I bloody won't!"

Miriam sighed at her daughter. Eighteen years old and still acted like four, "Amelia darling, not everything is about you! Get your seatbelt on and shut your mouth."

Amelia sighed and put on her seatbelt in silence. As Miriam started the engine, Amelia began to talk again; "In case you've forgotten _I _was out working until four in the morning. I've had less than five hours sleep and where are we going? To see that dickhead!"

"Amelia! Language!" Miriam answered her daughter back and began to drive towards the hospital, "You know you see your father every Saturday, it's an agreement remember?"

"Yeah I remember but I thought we agreed I didn't have to see him once I turned eighteen. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions regarding whether I want to meet my knob for a father, a slag for a step-mother and my bratty half-sister."

"I won't tell you again, stop talking about your father like that."

"I don't know why you're suddenly pretending to be their best friend." Amelia replied, "You think Zoe's a tart as well."

Miriam smiled a little, "It's not about what I think darling, your father loves her. They're happy."

Amelia didn't answer back and opened the glove compartment, she looked inside and ruffled through the CD's and other random piles of crap that was stored in the car. Not finding what she was looking for, she slammed it closed and began to look down the side of the car door.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding something, what does it look like?"

Miriam sighed. Once her daughter was on one she'd be on one for the rest of the day. Amelia was a lovely child however, she wasn't half high-maintenance. Miriam wondered how future boyfriends would cope with her daughter's know-it-all attitude.

They pulled up outside Nick and Zoe's house and Amelia unclipped her seatbelt. She sighed deeply, looked at her mother and smiled gently. As she kissed her cheek, she opened the car door, took her overnight bag and stepped out.

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Miriam said to her daughter and her daughter nodded as she closed the door. As her mother drove out of sight, she looked up at the house, put her bag over her shoulder and walked towards the front door.

Every other weekend since the age of four, she'd spent sleeping at her father's house. She didn't get on at all with her half-sister Jess. She thought she was a brat with a capital B. In reality, they were just too similar, both fighting for their father's affection.

Amelia reached the front door, knocked on once and walked into the house, "Daaaaad, it's me."

As she put her bag down on the floor, she heard clatter from the kitchen. Her half-sister Jess appeared at the door with a glass of water in her hand. She was wearing her Mickey Mouse pyjama's. She smiled a little, "Dad's not here, he's at work."

"Thanks for letting me now." She walked towards Jess and took the glass of water out of her grasp.

"Hey!" With a smirk Amelia necked the drink in one and handed the empty glass back to her; "Next time make me an orange juice rather than water, tar."

She went back towards the door and picked up her bag. Then she walked up the stairs only to hear Jessica shout; "Where do you think you're going?"

"Erm to the bedroom I'll be staying in for a week?"

"I wouldn't go—" She sighed as Amelia opened the door of what used to be her bedroom. Inside was the beginning of a nursery, a cot in the middle of the bedroom. Dropping her bag down on the floor, she screamed.

"A fucking nursery, are you for real? Your slag of a mother can't keep her legs closed, gets a pissin' bun in the oven and it's me who has to go without."

"In case you've forgotten Amelia, you don't live here."

"When was I going to be told that there's another Jordan on the way? When the fucking baby pops out? You know what Jess, fuck you, fuck your mum, fuck dad. I'm going home." Amelia slammed the door closed and stormed down the stairs, barging past Jess on the way out.

Jess grabbed hold off Amelia's arm, "Don't think you can come in here and start running your mouth. Dad was going to tell you when you first arrived but he had to go to work."

Amelia shook her half-sister's hand off her arm, "I forgot how precious the job was to my father. I mean, I'm always second best aren't I? You, Zoe, him, this baby, it's the perfect family set-up isn't it?"

"It's not like that." Jess answered back but Amelia wasn't having any of it, "Bollocks. It's all your fault. If _my _dad never have met _your_ slag of a mother, you'd never be here and _my _parents would still be together."

Before Jess could answer again, Amelia walked out of the front door and slammed the door closed behind her. As she walked along the street, a tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away. She wasn't going to cry over the situation, she wasn't going to cry.

It was useless telling herself that as it wasn't long before she burst into tears. She cried over the situation, she slowly felt like she was being replaced.

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**jottings — **i have no idea where this story is going but bare with it for now, thanks. if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please review;3


	2. CHAPTER II

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**CHAPTER TWO**.

She sat down on a garden wall at the end of the street. She swung her legs backwards and forwards as she thought about her behaviour. She knew it was immature, swearing and kicking off the way she had especially as she was eighteen, an adult and not as child.

Still it hurt, finding her bedroom a Nursery. She felt like she was being replaced now she was eighteen.

She jumped off the wall and began to make her way towards the coffee shop on the other street. Amelia needed a strawberry milkshake, that would be the only thing to calm her down before she went back to her _temporary_ home and smashed it to pieces.

Reaching the coffee shop, she was about to push open the door when she heard her mobile phone begin to ring.

Routing through her overnight bag, she took out her Blackberry, accepted the call and pressed the phone to her ear; "What?!"

_"Well hello to you too baby girl."_

"Seriously dad, I'm not in the mood. Get to the point of your phone call please."

There was a silence and Amelia leant against the window, _"Jess told me what happened. __Zoe and I we were going to tell you about the baby."_

"Should've known good little Jessica would've rang you to tell you all." Amelia paused, "Of course you were dad. When? Before she popped the bloody thing out? It's alright, I don't want to be part of it's life."

_"Amelia you don't mean that?"_ Nick said gently down the phone. Amelia stared at the floor, "Dad, I'm being serious. I don't want to be part of your life anymore, or Zoe's or Jess's or this little brat. It's easier just being me and mum. Least _she _doesn't lie to me."

_"We didn't lie to you Amelia, we were just waiting for the right time to tell you."_

"I'm sick of hearing your excuses. I don't want anything to do with you."

_"Amel—" _Amelia sighed as she disconnected the phone call and put the phone back in her bag. Then she pushed opened the door to the shop and walked to the front of the shop to order her milkshake. Getting her milkshake, she sat in the corner and sucked the milkshake through the straw.

Her mobile phone began to ring and as she took it out, she noticed the number was her mother's. As she accepted the call, she brushed her hair out of the way and pressed the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

_"Amelia, your father just rang me. He says you're in a mood."_

"I am not in a mood." Amelia protested, "I just don't like been lied too."

_"Darling, your father didn't lie to you. He just, well, wanted to wait until the right moment to tell you about the baby."_

"How did?" Amelia sighed, "So you knew about the baby too? Was it just bloody muggings here who didn't? Why was I last to know when it's my fucking half-sibling that bitch is popping out."

_"Amelia, I know you're upset but—"_

"Shut up." Amelia told Miriam over the phone, "I thought we agreed we weren't going to keep secrets from each other anymore. Looks like that little agreement went straight out the window. You know what, you and dad, you can go and fuck each other."

As she put the phone down, she turned off her phone and shoved it in her bag. That way nobody could contact her and she'd be left in peace. After finishing her milkshake, she left the shop and walked along the road. It hurt that she was last to know, as per usual.

It was like Jess all over again.

She was three when Jess was born and it hadn't been long since her parents had split up. Yet had either of them had the balls to sit down three year old Amelia and tell her that mummy number two Zoe was having a baby?

Nope. She was told literally two hours before the brat popped out.

/

Three hours went by and all she'd done was walk, walk, walk. She ended up in town which was roughly five miles away from her _temporary_ home. She was looking around the shops, trying to find an outfit for Stacy's birthday next weekend.

She'd managed to trade a shift with another girl so she could get drunk! As she picked up a pair of black and pink shoes, she bit her lower lip as she got an idea. She thought about shop-lifting them as they were way out of her price range. Instead, she placed them back down on the stand.

She didn't want a criminal record to effect her job as a Barmaid in the White Lion. She needed the money!

Amelia left the shop and walked to the nearest coffee shop. Again, craving another milkshake, she went in and ordered a milkshake. This time it was strawberry instead of chocolate. Handing the correct change to the woman before the counter, she took her milkshake and left.

As she walked along the street, she wondered whether to call her mother and father back to apologise for her behaviour. Again, she acted like a child rather than sitting down her mother, her father and her step-mother and telling them exactly how she felt.

As she thought about it, she came across a child in the middle of the road. She didn't think as she dropped her milkshake, ran into the middle of the road. She picked up the child and carried him safely to the other side of the road.

Placing him down on the floor, she took a deep breath to steady herself and said gently, "Look when you cross the road, otherwise you'll get squashed by a car. Where's your mum?" The boy, no older than five, pointed to a woman to busy talking on her phone.

Amelia touched the little boys shoulder and told him to be careful. Then she stepped into the road without looking.

/

The last thing she heard was a screech of tyres as she lost consciousness.

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**jottings** — like it? like it? like it? GOOD, REVIEW & ALERT & FAVOURITE. Thanks doll :D


	3. CHAPTER III

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**CHAPTER THREE**.

The woman was underneath the car, a pool of blood surrounding her. She was unconscious, not breathing as a man knelt beside her doing chest compressions. The woman driver was in shock. She kept repeating it wasn't her fault, the girl stepped out in front of her.

The victim started breathing again as the paramedics arrived. They took over, assessed her injuries before taking her to Holby. It was there that it was discovered that she'd broken her pelvis, shattered several ribs but other than that; she was extremely lucky!

Twenty-four hours later she woke up. Amelia felt like she'd been trampled on by an elephant as her whole body ached. Blinking several times, she noticed her father, smiled gently and whispered; "Dad?"

Nick turned around and smiled softly at his oldest daughter. As he walked towards her, she burst into tears; "Oh dad! I'm ever so sorry, all those things I said, I didn't mean them."

"Ssh." He whispered as he sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her, "None of that matters."

"Where's mum?" She asked as she snuggled into her father's chest.

"She went to get a drink, she'll be back in a minute." He kissed his daughter's head. He knew how close he'd come to losing her and he told himself that from now, nothing mattered. Only his children. At that moment Miriam walked through the door with two plastic cups of coffee.

She noticed that Amelia was awake and she smiled softly, "You're awake!"

Amelia swallowed and smiled softly. She noticed her mum had been crying as her eyes were red. Miriam placed the cups of coffee on the table and walked over to Amelia. As she sat on the other side of Amelia, she pulled her into a hug and began to cry.

Amelia noticed that her shoulder was becoming wet and she whispered; "Don't cry. You'll only make me cry again."

Miriam smiled sadly. She was relieved that her daughter was okay. She actually thought she was dead.

"You know they say you see your life flash before your eyes? I did. I actually thought I was goner for a moment. No more moody Amelia." She smiled as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Miriam wiped it away with her thumb and smiled at her daughter.

"Where's Jess and Zoe? Are they okay?"

"Jess and Zoe are fine, about the—" Nick began but Amelia cut him off, "You don't have to explain yourself. You didn't tell me about the baby, fine. I should've have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry for calling you and Zoe and Jess all the names under the sun. I was upset. I felt like you were replacing me."

"I don't think Zoe and I could replace you."

Amelia smiled at her father's comment. Amelia promised that she wasn't ever going to argue with her parents again, well — not argue _as _much.

/

Jess sat on the edge of the bed as she looked at her sister. She was sleeping peacefully and Jess sighed. When she received the phone call from her father to say Amelia was in hospital she was shit scared that was the end of her.

She touched her sister's hand a little and Amelia stirred. All she'd done since Jess arrived an hour earlier was sleep. As she woke fully from her sleep, Amelia noticed Jess and smiled a little.

"Hi."

"Hi." There was a silence between the the two before Amelia budged up and told Jess to park her fat arse next to her. Jess protested that she didn't have a fat arse and Amelia scoffed. Then there was a silence until Amelia began;

"Look Jess I'm really sorry."

"It's alright, dad said you apologised. Just tell me one thing why don't you like the idea of another sibling?"

"Look at you. You're perfect! You're the beautiful, intelligent daughter of dad. Me? I'm eighteen, I work nights in a bar whilst doing a degree in Art and Design. If dad and Zoe have another child, you know it's to replace me because I'm not intelligent."

"Don't be daft." Jess said and smiled softly, "You're amazing at Art, dad's proud that you're able to something different and follow your heart. He always said you had talent."

"I know but—"

Jess smiled, "But nothing. Dad loves you for you, not whether you've got a brilliant career or not. You're his daughter, just like me."

After a couple of minutes of silence, Amelia thought about what Jess was saying. She was being silly to think she was been replaced by the baby. She was the first born, she'll always be loved _slightly_ more.

As she pulled her sister into a hug, she whispered; "You know what Jess, you're not so much of a brat as I first thought."

"I'm not a brat to begin with."

"Of course you are, just not with a capital B." It wasn't long after that Amelia fell asleep. Jess tucked her sister up, kissed her cheek and left, grateful that they'd taken the time to make amends. She would never have forgiven herself if Amelia had died and the last thing they said to each other was that they hated each other.

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**jottings** — one more chapter left, i wish this story didn't have to end but it does :'( if you like it enough to favourite/alert, please leave a review. :3


	4. EPILOGUE

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**EPILOGUE**.

"For goodness sake Jessica, do you have ants in your pants?" Amelia questioned her sister as she sat on the living room floor, her sister sat in front of her. She was trying to style Jessica's hair in a french plait.

"Do you think she's had it by now?"

Amelia sighed and fiddled with her sister's hair, "I doubt it. Babies are proper stubborn! Mum was in labour with me for twenty-seven hours. Twenty-seven hours. Can you imagine? That's why I'm _never _having children."

Jess laughed softly, "You might want children when you're older."

"No I won't, look they make you grey and give you loads of earache. I'm happy being on my own to be fair."

There was a silence and Amelia stood up. As Jess asked where she was going, she answered to the kitchen. When she returned a few moments later, she had a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses with her.

"Amelia! That's mums." Amelia placed them on the table and opened the bottle of wine. As she poured them both a drink, she replied; "Well it _was_. If Zoe's breastfeeding the baby, she won't be able to drink will she? Plus I don't think dad will notice it's missing."

Jess stared at the wine glass before she picked it up; "Dad always did say you were a bad influence on me."

Amelia laughed as she sat back on the floor and picked up the other glass, "Well, you only live once."

Knowing they'd be waiting for ages for some news from their father about the birth of their sibling, they decided to play a game of monopoly. They'd been playing for over three hours when the phone rang. Both Jess and Amelia looked at each other before Amelia crawled to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Amelia, Zoe's had the baby. It's a boy!"

Amelia could tell by her father's voice that he was estastic to finally get a boy after two girls,

"Tell Zoe I said congratulations. A boy ey? What are you going to call him?"

"Nick of course." Nick answered and laughed. Amelia laughed and asked if he wanted to talk to Jess. Throwing the phone to Jess, she walked out of the room and went to the kitchen. They had a boy! The first Jordan boy.

Amelia found a tear roll down her cheek and Jess, who she hadn't noticed there, touched her back; "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm just happy, excited even. We've got a brother!"

As Jess hugged her, Amelia smiled. She might be a pain in the arse and half of the time get sick of her family but they were hers. They would never leave her or love her any less no matter what path she chose in life. Family was important, even if it was dysfunctional at times.

Tomorrow was the beginning of a new chapter in all their lives and she was grateful to be part of it.

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**jottings —** so here we go, the final chapter. i've actually really enjoyed writing this but in a way, i'm glad that it's over because i can focus on other projects. if you like it enough to read or to favourite, i would **love **to hear your opinion. once again, thanks to all the readers/reviewers for everything! :3


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